About 20 percent of motor vehicle crash deaths result from a vehicle leaving the roadway and hitting a fixed object alongside the road. Trees, utility poles, and traffic barriers are the most common objects struck. Almost half of the deaths in fixed object crashes occur at night. Alcohol is a frequent contributing factor. Motorists also run off the road because of excessive speeds, falling asleep, inattention or poor visibility. Efforts to reduce these driver errors are only somewhat effective, so it's important to remove fixed objects or avoid putting them along roads in the first place if feasible, especially on roads where vehicles are more likely to leave the pavement. Less preferred options include using breakaway objects, shielding objects and increasing the visibility of objects.

Although far fewer deaths occur in collisions with animals, their numbers have increased since 1975. In 2017, these deaths occurred most often during non-winter months.

The following facts are based on analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). The information is based on fatal crashes in which the most harmful event coded was a collision with a fixed object, regardless of whether the first harmful event also was a collision with a fixed object, or was instead another type of crash, such as a collision between two motor vehicles, that in turn led to a collision with a fixed object. Information on the most harmful event became available in FARS in 1979. The information on collisions with animals is based on fatal crashes in which the first harmful event coded was a collision with an animal. Many of these collisions involve secondary impacts that are more severe, such as colliding with another vehicle or a tree. Information on the first harmful event has been available since FARS was established in 1975. FARS does not code the type of animal involved in the collision. However, according to a review of 147 fatal animal crashes during 2000-2002 in 9 states, 77 percent of the struck animals were deer, and a variety of other animals were involved including cattle, horses, dogs, bears, cats, and opossums.
Williams, A.F. and Wells, J.K. 2005. Characteristics of vehicle-animal crashes in which vehicle occupants are killed. Trafﬁc Injury Prevention 6:56–59.

Posted December 2018.

Data subsections:

Trends

A total of 7,833 people died in fixed-object crashes in 2017, 3 percent fewer than in 2016 and 26 percent fewer than in 1979. The proportion of motor vehicle crash deaths involving collisions with fixed objects has remained between 19 and 23 percent since 1979.

Deaths in fixed-object crashes as a percentage of all motor vehicle crash deaths, 1979-2017

Year

Fixed object crash deaths

Other deaths

All deaths

Number

%

Number

%

Number

%

1979

10,550

21

40,543

79

51,093

100

1980

10,968

21

40,123

79

51,091

100

1981

9,464

19

39,837

81

49,301

100

1982

8,417

19

35,528

81

43,945

100

1983

8,333

20

34,256

80

42,589

100

1984

8,796

20

35,461

80

44,257

100

1985

9,319

21

34,506

79

43,825

100

1986

9,851

21

36,236

79

46,087

100

1987

9,662

21

36,728

79

46,390

100

1988

9,865

21

37,222

79

47,087

100

1989

9,537

21

36,045

79

45,582

100

1990

9,355

21

35,244

79

44,599

100

1991

8,894

21

32,614

79

41,508

100

1992

8,221

21

31,029

79

39,250

100

1993

8,256

21

31,894

79

40,150

100

1994

8,142

20

32,574

80

40,716

100

1995

8,524

20

33,293

80

41,817

100

1996

8,442

20

33,623

80

42,065

100

1997

8,381

20

33,632

80

42,013

100

1998

8,401

20

33,100

80

41,501

100

1999

8,431

20

33,286

80

41,717

100

2000

8,899

21

33,046

79

41,945

100

2001

9,011

21

33,185

79

42,196

100

2002

9,580

22

33,425

78

43,005

100

2003

9,433

22

33,451

78

42,884

100

2004

9,242

22

33,594

78

42,836

100

2005

9,176

21

34,334

79

43,510

100

2006

9,303

22

33,405

78

42,708

100

2007

9,289

23

31,970

77

41,259

100

2008

8,792

23

28,631

77

37,423

100

2009

7,928

23

25,955

77

33,883

100

2010

7,529

23

25,470

77

32,999

100

2011

7,378

23

25,101

77

32,479

100

2012

7,697

23

26,085

77

33,782

100

2013

7,553

23

25,341

77

32,894

100

2014

7,518

23

25,226

77

32,744

100

2015

7,700

22

27,785

78

35,485

100

2016

8,039

21

29,767

79

37,806

100

2017

7,833

21

29,300

79

37,133

100

Trees are the most common fixed object struck. Forty-seven percent of deaths in fixed object crashes in 2017 involved a vehicle striking a tree. Utility poles and traffic barriers were the next most common objects struck, accounting for 12 and 9 percent of deaths, respectively.

Deaths in fixed-object crashes by object struck, 2017

Object struck

Number

%

Tree

3,691

47

Utility pole

914

12

Traffic barrier

688

9

Embankment

358

5

Ditch

277

4

Culvert

244

3

Fence

176

2

Building

175

2

Wall

153

2

Bridge pier

139

2

Traffic sign support

130

2

Guardrail end

113

1

Other

775

10

Total

7,833

100

Alcohol

Forty percent of drivers killed in fixed-object crashes in 2017 had blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) at or above 0.08 percent. By comparison, 23 percent of drivers killed in other types of fatal crashes had BACs this high. The percentage of drivers killed in fixed-object crashes with BACs at or above 0.08 percent declined from 66 percent in 1982 to 40 percent in 2017, a reduction of 39 percent.

When and where crashes occur

Sixteen percent of deaths in fixed-object crashes in 2017 occurred on interstates and freeways, 39 percent occurred on other major roads, and 43 percent occurred on minor roads.

Deaths in fixed-object crashes by road type, 2017

Road type

Deaths

%

Interstates and freeways

1,285

16

Other major roads

3,056

39

Minor roads

3,330

43

All road types*

7,833

100

*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Fifty percent of deaths in fixed-object crashes in 2017 occurred on rural roads.

Deaths in fixed-object crashes by land use, 2017

Land use

Deaths

%

Rural

3,948

50

Urban

3,726

48

Total*

7,833

100

*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Forty-five percent of deaths in fixed-object crashes in 2017 occurred on roads with speed limits of 55 mph or higher.

Deaths in fixed-object crashes by speed limit, 2017

Speed limit

Deaths

%

≤35 mph

1,952

25

40-50 mph

2,114

27

55+ mph

3,563

45

Total*

7,833

100

*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Forty-two percent of deaths in fixed-object crashes in 2017 occurred at night (9 p.m.-6 a.m.), with the highest proportions occurring between midnight and 3 a.m. (16 percent) and between 9 p.m. and midnight (15 percent).

Deaths in fixed-object crashes by time of day, 2017

Hour of day

Deaths

%

Midnight - 3 a.m.

1,262

16

3 a.m. - 6 a.m.

829

11

6 a.m. - 9 a.m.

674

9

9 a.m. - noon

696

9

Noon - 3 p.m.

967

12

3 p.m. - 6 p.m.

1,072

14

6 p.m. - 9 p.m.

1,040

13

9 p.m. - midnight

1,194

15

Total*

7,833

100

*Total includes other and/or unknowns

Collisions with animals

From 1975 to the mid-2000s there was a general upward trend in deaths from collisions with animals, but this trend has leveled off over the past decade. These deaths increased from 89 in 1975 to 223 in 2007 and then declined to 211 in 2017. In 2017, similar numbers of deaths in collisions with animals occurred during April-June, July-September, and October-December.

Motor vehicle crash deaths in collisions with animals by quarter of the year, 1975-2017

Year

Months

Total

Jan-Mar

Apr-Jun

Jul-Sep

Oct-Dec

1975

14

15

28

32

89

1976

15

25

34

25

99

1977

13

15

27

24

79

1978

7

19

34

20

80

1979

16

21

30

35

102

1980

14

22

33

25

94

1981

14

19

43

29

105

1982

10

18

27

27

82

1983

11

28

32

24

95

1984

11

25

33

23

92

1985

12

24

44

24

104

1986

21

29

26

35

111

1987

15

30

35

31

111

1988

14

23

44

37

118

1989

20

33

42

36

131

1990

14

17

39

36

106

1991

23

34

31

34

122

1992

20

27

34

39

120

1993

16

22

27

36

101

1994

20

41

27

43

131

1995

17

29

36

41

123

1996

14

59

38

42

153

1997

17

35

39

45

136

1998

17

36

59

53

165

1999

18

35

46

53

152

2000

29

30

45

46

150

2001

24

51

43

59

177

2002

21

42

57

50

170

2003

23

57

72

60

212

2004

26

55

62

61

204

2005

18

47

57

58

180

2006

26

67

63

66

222

2007

15

64

82

62

223

2008

25

58

70

57

210

2009

24

52

67

41

184

2010

20

62

87

44

213

2011

19

44

71

65

199

2012

20

50

62

44

176

2013

15

54

74

49

192

2014

18

50

60

38

166

2015

15

47

59

68

189

2016

20

55

58

56

189

2017

20

64

64

63

211

Over the past 10 years, Texas and Wisconsin had the highest numbers of deaths from collisions with animals. The numbers reflect the size of driving population, animal population and percentage of rural roads.

Among animal crash deaths in 2017, 62 percent occurred in crashes where the most harmful event was a collision with an animal. Rollover and collisions with vehicles in transport were the next most common most harmful events, accounting for 16 and 9 percent of deaths, respectively.

Motor vehicle crash deaths in collisions with animals by the most harmful event, 2017